Memorialising the pandemic: Venice and Melbourne

William Aslet wrote that every July in Venice a pontoon bridge is constructed between St Mark’s Square and the Church of The Redentore/Redeemer on Giudecca Island. This Festa del Redentore ceremony is known for its impres­sive dis­play of fireworks and revelry, but 2020’s social-distancing remind Venetians of the genesis of this ceremony: the city’s deliverance from the plague of 1575–77.

The plague was devastating for Venice; with c400 dying a day at its peak, it eventually killed a third of the city’s population. Inn­ovative measures were adopted to tackle its spread, including a policy of curfew in residents’ homes and dependence on the city authorities for necessary supplies.

When these measures failed, only God could help. In Sept 1576, at the height of the epidemic, the Senate vowed before the Doge to make amends to the Almighty with acts of public supplication and devotion. A new votive church would be dedicated to Christ the Redeemer as the focal point of an annual ceremony of thanksgiving.

Debates in the Senate were held in Nov where the favourite arch­itect swiftly emerged: Andrea Palladio (1508–80). Having estab­lish­ed himself in Vicenza as an architect of pal­azzi and villas for local noblemen, he had found his greatest success in Venice as an ecclesiastical architect. His church and cloister of San Giorgio Maggiore had established a new language of ecclesiastical architecture for Venice.

With the site and architect chosen, the only matter left to decide was the form of the church. In one discussion in the Senate in Feb 1577, the old architectural question again became relevant i.e whether the church should take a centralised plan, or a more trad­itional, longitudinal design. Palladio’s sympathies were probably with the former scheme, the most eloquent proponent of which in the Senate was his patron Marc’Antonio Barb­aro. But the Senate sided with tradition, voting in favour of the longit­udinal scheme, with Palladio’s design officially approved in Feb.

Procession before Il Redentore, c1648, 

by Joseph Heintz the Younger. 

Museo Civico Correr, Venice. 

The procession across the pontoon bridge was at the fore-front of Palladio’s mind as he worked on the design. With the church to be approached centrally on processional days, the facade needed to provide a magnificent statement of the pietistic aims of the city and of its government. So Palladio ret­urned to a solution he’d explored in his earlier Venetian churches. Described as comprising interlocking temple fronts, this solution created a central pediment of four half-columns flanked on either side by lower half-pediments of a subsidiary order. Both monumental and harmonious, it was perfect for the glorif­ication of God and for the city.

As at San Giorgio, the church was divided into three zones: nave, crossing and retro-choir, but at the Redentore they were modified to express processional requirements and spaciousness. Instead of aisles, the barrel-vaulted side chapels contained openings along the E-W axis that allow them to act as am­bul­atories.

In the approach to the area under the dome, where the city’s of­f­icials sat on proc­ess­ional days, the walls of the nave turned in­wards. This allowed Pal­l­adio to provide the most important space of the church, cerem­on­ially and liturgically, with a monum­ent­al arched entrance. Behind the altar, a semi-circular screen of col­umns emphasised the centralising impetus of the dome. The church was consecrated in 1592.

With the Redentore and the annual procession, the Venetian republic provided such a grand monument to its experience of plague that was never forgotten. Soon, after the pandemic ends, Venice will have to ask what mon­ument would be appropriate for a secular age?

So will Melbourne!

Melbourne has a great precendent. In the late C19th the six independent colonies in Australia began to consider creating a federated nation. The decision was made finally by a referendum in each col­ony in 1899 and the Commonwealth of Australia started on 1st Jan 1901.

Colonial rivalries marred the long negotiations about the site of the eventual national capital, since Victoria had the bigg­est population and economy. To ensure NSW’s agreement to fed­er­ate, it was determined that the capital city would be in NSW, equi-distanced between Sydney and Melbourne. Mean-while Melb­ourne hosted the federal parliament and government while the new capital city was built.

 Melbourne's main ceremonial arch, 1901

above: carriages crossing Princes Bridge

below: view from the Yarra River

The opening of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia took place in Melbourne’s spectacular Royal Exhibition Building in May 1901. Prince George, Duke of York and later King George V, offic­iat­ed for the King. Additionally the city was decorated with a ser­ies of grand arches to cel­ebrate the royal visit. 

Melbourne excelled, with a series of 8 grand ceremonial ar­ch­es marking the royal carriage’s route to and from Exhibition Build­ing. Note the: grand Municipal Arch, King’s Arch, Queen Vic­t­oria’s Arch, Duke of York’s Arch and a Citizens’ Arch. Extra ar­ches were built in St Kilda and in Ballarat, and Spencer St Station was decorated to resemble Windsor Castle! Unfortunately the arches remained in place for only a brief period.

To commemorate the 2020 coronavirus and to give thanks for our sur­vival, I would eventually rebuild the grand arches across Mel­b­our­ne’s Princes Bridge. Since this is the most important and beau­tiful southern entrance into the city, I would not use concrete or any other heavy material which might block the sun over the pedes­trians or block the two side views of the Yarra River. I would instead build a series of fine, iron arches and cover each one in vines.